My daughter bought a vehicle a couple of days ago and it started breaking down about half an hour later. She stopped at auto zone to have them check it because the AC was turning off at the traffic lights and the it didn’t seem to be blowing enough cold air.The salesperson at autozone said that because the engine light was not on yet they couldn’t check it. My daughter had to be in Tampa by 3am for a job so she left about an hour after she stopped at autozone. An hour into her travels from Orlando to Tampa the engine light comes on. She got to Tampa and parked the vehicle,checked in her room and did not get back in that car till 6pm when she finished work. She had to make another trip to autozone shortly after because now the engine light was still on. The diagnostic said she needs a catalytic converter , there’s an engine leak & she needs an oxygen sensor. The dealer picked up the phone one time and told her to refer back to her $250warranty and she did they told her to pay $100 deductible and $60 for labor to find out what’s wrong with it.She called the dealer back that was two days ago but he would not pick up the phone till today two days later and said most he could do if she wants she could take it to his mechanic and he will pay something, didn’t say how much. He also stated he drove the car a whole week and nothing was wrong with the car... lies. He said to his knowledge there was nothing wrong with te car. Now my question to you is could it be true that’s dealer that sells a car “As is” and in his ad states the car has no mechanical problems no leaks , not know there was anything wrong at all with the car? 2012 Ford Focus hatchback 4D, 2.0L l4 Dl
thank you for considering my question.
Used car dealers and real estate agents; they cannot be held accountable for anything they say unless it is in writing.
It sounds like the dealer is pretty shady, possibly a "buy here pay here" type lot. (If it was a Ford dealer they could scan the car with a dealer scan tool to check all the modules and sensors.)
It's possible that the catalytic converter is OK and the problem is just an O2 sensor, but the car needs to be checked out by a mechanic that has the proper tools to diagnose it.
The other thing to be aware of on a 2012 Focus is that if it has the "PowerShift' automated transmission unfortunately it is very likely to develop severe transmission problems if it has not already and there is no fix for it. (If it has a manual transmission you don't have to worry about that particular issue.)
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a27438193/ford-powershift-transmission-problems/
Addendum: If you are in a state that does emission tests it's possible they might require dealers to guarantee inspection despite it otherwise being an "as-is" sale. This is something that varies in each state so it's something you'd have to check.
The burden legally would be on you to prove he did know there was a problem, and since issues didn't creep up until 30 minutes after purchase that's going to be near impossible. You would need proof that the car was inspected, the dealer informed of an issue being present, and them denying to fix it.
Even then, it does not matter legally as an "As-Is" sale means exactly that. If you read through your paperwork, you'll find a sheet that is called a "Buyer's Guide". This is a white sheet of paper with black writing that says "Warranty" and "As Is". There is a square box next to each option, and one will be checked, which will be "As-Is". Now, flip it over and on the back there is a ton of fine print. Somewhere in there, you will see this: "As-Is sales come with no warranty, expressed nor implied, regardless of verbal promises, verbal or written statements about the vehicle, any information contained within any advertisements for the vehicle, or any other guarantee except as noted in the contract agreement."
This is why having a mechanic inspect a used car BEFORE you buy is so important. If you buy a clunker, there is no legal recourse whatsoever for you. There are a lot of shady dealers out there, and you have to watch out for those land mines before you step on one.
I am sorry to hear this happened as, being a dealer myself, places like that make us all look bad. Particularly the Buy Here, Pay Here loan sharks that overcharge for their clunkers.
I hate to judge before all the facts are in but I just have a bad feeling about this one.
Me too. Sounds like a Buy Here - Pay Here dealer. I know I keep bringing that up, but I've seen some things....I just really dislike them. They take advantage of people who have no other option.
They're bottom feeders preying on people who can least afford to be ripped off. If that's what the situation is here who knows where that car actually came from, what's been done to it, or how many times it's been repo'd and resold.
Thanks mod_man.